Pictures of health

“The partnership between The Ottawa Hospital and Shanghai’s Renji Hospital is a component of the broader partnership of the Ottawa-Shanghai Joint Medical School.”

— Dr. Jacques Bradwejn, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine

By Chonglu Huang

In partnership with the Embassy of China and Health Canada, the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine hosted a special reception in honour of 20 years of health collaboration between China and Canada on Friday, May 15 at Roger Guindon Hall.

A photo exhibition highlighting two decades of partnerships between China and Canada was displayed at this event, held in honour of a special visit from Qian Liu, China’s Vice-Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Due to the Faculty of Medicine’s recent research collaborations with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the creation of theOttawa-Shanghai Joint Medical School, the Faculty has been given the opportunity to be a part of this significant milestone in international diplomacy and medical partnership.

“Health collaborations with Canada, as exemplified by this joint medical school, are increasingly important for the two nations’ mutual goal of improving public health and medical care for patients,” said Vice-Minister Liu in his speech at the event.

For the past three years, the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine has worked very closely with the Chinese Embassy in Canada to lay the groundwork for the creation of this joint medical school with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

“From the outset, both Shanghai Jiao Tong School of Medicine and our Faculty were seeking a preferred partner with whom to invest jointly in support of a multifaceted partnership that will enable us to meet our mutual goals of contributing to health care reform in China, expanding research and learning opportunities, and improving health services in Canada,” said Dr. Jacques Bradwejn, Dean of the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine.

With Dr. Jack Kitts, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, along with Dr. Weiping Li, President of Shanghai’s Renji Hospital in attendance, this special anniversary event also featured the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between The Ottawa Hospital and Renji Hospital to formally establish their commitment to working together.

“The partnership between The Ottawa Hospital and Shanghai’s Renji Hospital is a component of the broader partnership of the Ottawa-Shanghai Joint Medical School that will allow for expanded specialty training, innovative projects in clinical settings, and health care reform,” explained Dr. Bradwejn.

For example, no existing model of family medicine or primary care currently exists in China. Already, the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine is working to launch a family medicine clinic in Renji Hospital as a demonstration project.

In 2014, Xinhua Hospital, another teaching hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, signed an agreement with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and the Montfort Hospital is also working on a partnership with Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai.

“These partnerships are greatly facilitated by shared common values, such as social accountability, bilingualism (French and English) and serving our communities locally and globally,” added Dr. Bradwejn.

Headed by Dr. Yuwei Wang, Vice-Dean Internationalization, the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine is constantly building on its collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Moving forward, these collaborations in medical research and medical education have now expanded to include hospital partnerships between Shanghai and Ottawa.

“The partnership, not-for-profit model and the development of a mutually beneficial relationship is what has made this all possible from the start,” said Dr. Wang. “This model is unique to our scenario in that we are working with Shanghai Jiao Tong University as an equal partner with shared mutual goals of improving medical research and education for students of both countries.”

Photos celebrating 20 years of health collaboration between Canada and China. Photo: Robert Lacombe

Main photo:Jacques Bradwejn, Dean of the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine, addresses members of the Ottawa health care community and senior Canadian and Chinese medical officials. Photo: Robert Lacombe

Jack Kitts (pictured left), president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, and Weiping Li, president of Renji Hospital, sign a new Memorandum of Understanding, with Jacques Bradwejn (pictured right). Dr. Bradwejn said the MoU was another building block for the Ottawa-Shanghai Joint Medical School. Photo: Robert Lacombe